Ramp to Camp: What do you want to see from Paul George? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
No one in our Ramp to Camp panel seems particularly worried about what Paul George can bring to the court entering his age 36 season. The question is simply how often the Celtics will have him there.
For Day 7 of our preseason series tackling the top questions surrounding the Celtics on the march to the 2026-27 season, we asked our panel for the No. 1 thing they want to see from George this season. The overwhelming response: Health and availability.
The encouraging news is that George arrived at his Boston introduction on Tuesday sounding refreshed and expressed optimism about his health. He noted how he “feels amazing … I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”
Later, in a sit-down interview with NBC Sports Boston, George took it one step further and expressed hope that his games played total would climb this season.
“Obviously, it’s been unacceptable for me, from a personal level, to not be able to play at least 50 games, 60 games in a season,” said George. “And so that’s kind of a benchmark, obviously, I want for myself is to be on the upper end of games played.”
The Celtics have done an elite job managing the workload for some of their more veteran players, most notably Al Horford throughout his second stint with Boston. Despite sometimes stubborn knees, Horford averaged 64 games over four years through his age 38 season.
George said he’s had initial conversations with the Celtics about managing his workload but wasn’t certain how that will look when the games start. He admitted that playing his best basketball in the postseason had to be a priority — and the Celtics know too well how good he can be on the playoff stage when his body is feeling right.
Even while navigating health woes in his age 35 season with Philadelphia last year, George still averaged 17.3 points per game while shooting 39.2 percent beyond the 3-point arc. He averaged 17.4 points over 37.1 minutes per game in Round 1 against Boston in last year’s playoffs, which included shooting a sizzling 55 percent beyond the 3-point arc in the series.
George remains an excellent defender. His 2.7 steals per 100 possessions ranked in the 97th percentile among wings last season. He should allow Boston to be even more aggressive on the defensive end this season.
The reality is that George isn’t just replacing one of the most impactful two-way players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, but one of the most available players in the league. Brown navigated minor ailments but averaged 67.4 games per season over the past five seasons.
George can help fill some of what was lost in Brown’s departure, and his willingness to accept a secondary role at this stage of his career might also allow new teammates like Tatum, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White to thrive.
But there is no denying the obvious: He has to stay on the floor.
Nick Goss: Producer, Multi-Platform Content
Play 65+ games. Durability is the primary concern with Paul George at 36 years old. He’s missed a ton of games over the last few seasons. He’s still a very good player, but how often is he going to be on the court? George has played 60-plus games in a single season only once since 2019.
Josh Canu: Editor
Availability. PG is a gifted player and we saw firsthand in the playoffs the impact he can have as an important role player. But he misses a ton of games and, if he isn’t available, he isn’t helping.
Michael Hurley: Producer, Multi-Platform Content
Signs of life? Is that rude? It is. I know. I’m just in the group of folks that wasn’t overly excited to see a franchise cornerstone traded for Paul George at this stage of his career. I guess the most realistic area you’d want him to thrive is hitting his 3s, because we know Joe Mazzulla will be encouraging them. He hit 39.2 percent of them last year but then hit almost half of them (49.3 percent) in 11 playoff games. He shot 55 percent from beyond the arc against the Celtics, so he owes them at least better than 40 percent from three this upcoming season.
Kevin Miller: Vice President, Content Creation and Strategy
38% 3FG, 65 games played, strong defense.
Justin Leger: Producer, Multi-Platform Content
Consistency. Jaylen Brown had his off nights, like everyone else, but for the most part, you knew what to expect from him on a nightly basis. Paul George is no Jaylen Brown at this stage of his career but the Celtics need to be able to lean on him when Jayson Tatum is struggling. If he performs at the level he did when he returned from his suspension in March, that’ll go a long way toward getting this C’s team back on top in the East.
Jason Levine: Executive Producer, Content Integrations
Availability.
Adam Hart: Executive Producer, Content Strategy
We saw positive veteran impacts from Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis when the Celtics claimed Banner 18. I want to see positive veteran impacts. Won’t be specific — but you’ll know it when you see it.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
I’m sure this will be a popular answer but health is really the most crucial thing I’d like to see from Paul George. He can be an impact player for this team if he’s healthy, but that’s been rare over the last chunk of his career.
